my wallet got stolen yesterday due to what else but my carelessness. what's much worst was that in it contained the ang bao money being christmas gifts from relatives, which i was on my way to the bank to have it deposited. now, theres nothing left to deposit :( sigh, guess i only have myself to blame. calling the various banks, clubs, etc to report the lost cards was such a hassle.

surprisingly, this morning a cabby called my house and informed me that he found my stolen wallet. probably he got my number from the details written behind a check in it. Surposedly some asshole stole my wallet, took the cash and left my wallet in this cab. what i lost in boon lay was found in bishan. crap. oh well, at least i saved the 100 bucks of having to make a new ic. and its always nice to know we do have some honest and nice cabbys around in singapore, other than the petty theives.

returned from KL last night. we managed to make it back to singapore just minutes before the stroke of christmas. a rush down to holy cross for midnight mass was worth the effort, as we met up with friends and family to share the joy and excitement of the much awaited midnight mass. unfortunately we were too tired to carry on with the partying for the night, hence had them abandoned and retreated home to get some sleep. the days in korea and kl was awesome. the weather, culture, food, places to see and shoot in korea were astonishing, while we did more visiting, shopping, eating, and eating, and yes eating, in kl. with the year end sales and good conversion rates, shopping has never been better. though i am so not one bit of a shopaholic, i had my share of fun. i thank God for the enjoyable and safe trip that he had bless us with and for the wellbeing of family members and friends overseas. right now, i guess i'd like to spend the remaining christmas season more with my family here, in pursuit of a more meaningful one.

wishing all of you a holy and happy christmas! :)

p.s. do check out the photos uploaded on the photo album :)

the last test paper for the term was done for today. thank goodness! its about time i seriously needed a break so badly. human resource management paper today was such a crappy one. practically 90% of its content was out of the textbook and yet required case study approach. though im happy that its all over, im really hoping for the best. spent the day with a few of the sec 1 juniors. caught alvin and the chipmunks which perhaps wasn't that bad lah? i was glad for the opportunity we had to get to know one another better and have fun :) however, what really sucked was me having to spend 18 bucks just on parking and erp entries today alone. what a piss off. parking at bugis and cairnhill for only 4 and 3 hours respectively cost me a total of close to 13 bucks, while erp entries in and out of town, and to east coast at the end of the day totalled to 5, swallowing up all thats remaining of my cashcard. damn, the next time i head to town, i'm never gonna take the car again.

but on a brighter note, my overseas holidays begin tomorrow. heh heh. bye everyone, see you on christmas! :)

life has been rather dull these days. basically mugging away and nothing else. even red cross activities have taken a stand still. have stopped gyming for awhile since i've fallen ill and been trying to recover, hence putting on an obvious load of weight, as julia would easily notice. pretty worried about the upcoming common tests, as i've noticed everyone mugging their butts off. once again, its when the going gets tough, that the tough gets going! nonetheless, the trip to kl and korea has been pushed way forward. will be leaving for kl the day after my last paper, and flying from there two days later. woohoo, thats something to look forward to for now. :)

common tests

the first advent candle has been lit, marking the four weeks of preparation into christmas. unfortunately, it also means it is time to mug hard for common test week thats around the corner. for various reasons, the stress level has built up greater than before. probably due to the classes' positive peer pressure, and the considerations of having to do well to get into a good local uni with the good grades im hoping for. there it goes again, life's very own expectations. perhaps its time i begin seeking God's plans for me instead of mine alone.

on a brighter note, my trip to korea with my bro, cousin and chanel has been confirmed, whoohoo! though reluctant to miss christmas, not forgetting the turkey and ham here at home, i guess its probably now or never (much later lah) for an overseas trip. its been a while since i last had tomato juice on a plane. hoping that i'll be able to find a church there to attend christmas midnight mass - in korean most likely? :)

holy cross

church of the holy cross just received her new crucifix thats entirely made of glass and a backdrop of stained glass depicting the five decades of the luminous mystery. there's also a piece of the actual wood of the cross that once hung Jesus, now put up for the faithful for veneration.

Simply beautiful.

rcy challenge

back from the rcychallenge camp finally. it was a fulfilling experience for sure, having been able to catch up with everyone i've not meet for some time especially those who went into hiding to mug for a levels. well, congrats its over! (: glad to see yuan hao again before he enlists early next year. im sure everyone had a great deal of fun, both instructors and campers, apart from the super low overhead planes landing every five mins beginning at 4am! how to sleep like that?! still, i had my share in running more than 12 soccer matches at ubin. thanks to everyone 'stucked' there with me who made it enjoyable and the hours of scouring heat pass so fast. rocks! probably the camp did hold true to its motto, 'challenge oneself to achieve' as seen in all its programmes.

well for now, its immediately back to school. having miss one day due to the camp already worries me. hmm thats surprising. i wonder why. exams are only around the corner. guess for now its my turn to mug. seriously.

all shots taken with a 6110 navigator

vroom vroom

Haha, the police are using the same bike as mine! Heard from the supplier that they bought up all the stocks in Singapore and there are none left now til next year, hah.

aother TGIF

TGIF! And what better way to celebrate that chilling at your favourite night spot with the best of friends. Unfortunately, the usual buds weren't able to make it. But still, the party had to go on... with En Shao and myself, haha. Chilled at HollandV's Wala Wala. Soccer, live bands, music, front row seats, jugs of beer... whoo, it was a long time since we had such a good time. Turning eighteen has never been better haha! However the cost and drinks were enough to knock us out quickly and we had to retire by midnight. Decided to abandon our Halloween plans on Saturday due to the large hole in our wallets now but you bet we'll return. Next place, the subzero room in Eskibar!

And thank goodness for the Nightriders and the 'gahment's' new ban of smoking in these places. It really makes things alot more convenient. :)

start of school

School has been great since it started two weeks ago. Maybe it was the office attachment that made me really appreciate school more now, or that my bike gets me to school and home much quicker than before, or just the new modules that interest me. Whatever they may be, I'm enjoying every moment of school. But more importantly, I am thankful for the nice new teachers and friend's I've had this new semester, in class and out. Projects and common tests were a disaster last year. Hence I'm hoping to start the new sem right this time. Projects have taken a roll and my groupmates are looking geared up on them. That sure lessens my stress load on project work this sem. Everyone in class seem really competitive and hardworking, perhaps that will motivate me to do so too. :D

In any case, Paul and I have been hitting the gym and pool everyday for the past two weeks. Trying hard to burn off all the fats put in from the seven weeks of attachment. Boy, is it difficult! But I guess I'm getting quite used to it and having fun, nonetheless feeling much more energetic for taekwondo trainings and fitter than before! :)

old time friends

Meeting up with old time friends is something I always treasure and look forward to now that everyone is getting busy with each of our own activities and hardly have any time to just chill out and watch the world go by. I was thankful I could spend the weekend doing just that, and yet putting aside time for the family too.

Attended the family healing service at Novena Church on friday night. Though it was rather hot and stuffy, the service was indeed spiritually rejuvenating and reflective. Perfect for something I've been missing out for sometime. Saturday night was spent on dinner with the VIs, some of whom I've not met for months, no doubt was it a good time to catch up. Happy birthday to JJ and Shamsul! As though we were already not filled with food to our brim, Stephen, Joan and Jason decided on supper. Nicholas joined us with his bike, so we had a little bike exhibition down to our makan place with jason, joan and qi hui driving behind us, the bikers. What a fun time it was. ;P

The best part, we celebrated Enshao's birthday at Hooters on Sunday night. Soccer, food, hooter girls, though no drinks since some of us drove, but we had a great time.

Kevin's enjoying his holidays now that attachment is over. Probably searching for new places to try out his stunts on his new bike since he's got chased away by the police at his previous territory. hah! Austin finally laid hands on his xbox 360 and halo 3. ever since then, everything has been halo. Nicholas... well, riding his gal around to all the romantic places in Singapore. Enshao's getting fitter and machoer each day after all those serious canoeing training. And me... just trying to stay up with time.

Overall, everyone's doing well. (:

driving around

I never thought I would say this, but the post-attachment effects are beginning to hit me significantly. I find a day meaningless when there is no work to be done or accomplished. Somehow, someway, I would have to keep myself busy or occupied, if not the restlessness would just kick in.

In any case, I've been doing some driving and riding around since I've passed my driving test lately. Thank God for that, and congrats to Daniel Seow too! We both had the same test dates, and kept each other in prayers almost the whole time. Got a new bike too, the Piaggio mp3. Haha, its a three-wheeler and my parents were convinced of its added safety and stability features, so I had nothing to say. Had a couple of small accidents from both. Wacking the car into a pillar while parking and having the whole back badly smashed (ok, maybe thats not a small accident afterall), and skidding and falling off the bike on the wet slippery floor, both in the carparks. Sigh, its just this thing with car parks... Also, if you're riding a bike, you might wana be aware of and be cautious of the white/yellow painted markings on the roads (yellow box, arrows, dotted lines, etc). When it rains, these markings become extremely slippery and will cause us to lose control when at a high speed and/or banking angle. Got the infro from a forum and found it to be true myself after a few rides in wet weather.

The main roads can sometimes be a real pain in the ass. Especially with inconsiderate people who speed and get themselves into accidents which jam up the whole morning traffic causing everyone to be late for work. Or impatient taxi drivers who never fail to post a threat to motorcyclists. But generally I've encountered nice drivers too, who wave in return when you give way or just being courteous in their styles of road using, which surely makes a whole lot of difference to a pleasurable driving experience.

last week at the office

How fast it is that time flies. Before I could be settling down at the office, I am up again moving back to school for a new semester beginning two weeks time. Sheesh. Nonetheless the whole 6 weeks of internship has proved to be worthwhile. New experience and much valuable lessons were gained. More importantly I must thank everyone in the office for being so welcoming and patient towards me. Especially for all the awesome makan places at Katong that I've been brought to, whoo, I'll be back mann!

Piaggio MP3

Been checking out bikes since two weeks back when nick and I passed our 2B. Whoo Hoo! Well, the lucky dude is already riding his phatom around while I'm still sourcing to find myself something comfortable yet safe. So, found the Piaggio MP3 over the internet and went to test rode this baby yesterday.

Other than the massive weight (200kg excluding rider) that I believe takes getting used to, this baby's performance is beauty! The extra wheel provides increased stability and road grip hence turning even at sharp corners feels awesome and graceful, leaving you looking forward to every turn ahead of you (seriously). Power, hmm... can't expect much since it's only a 125cc. Surprising eh.

Well what can I say, the 3 wheeler may look abit screwed, but no doubt is it an awesome bike to ride, so... haha, still thinking about it lah. Comments are most welcomed! Chill.

Change of lifestyle

Three weeks into attachment and the remaining four has called for a drastic change in lifestyle. I'm not left with much personal time now considering office hours are from 8-6 each day and there's taewondo training on Monday and Thursday nights, RCIA on Wednesday nights, driving lessons on Friday nights, while Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings are packed with church activites. So when I'm home, computers and/or any form of work are a NO-NO. But instead, its just me, the bed, the TV, and as much as I try, the rosary.

In the admist of the busy schedule, I've come to realise the importance of spending time with my family. Dinners are often the only time we get to talk and catch up on each other's happenings as a famiy, hence stuck in my organizer now, are at least three family dinners a week. :)

I guess overall I'm doing fine here. Other than finding time for the gym, work here has been interesting and everyday's a whole new learning experience. Been trying out the many katong laksas here of which everyone of them claim to be the famous original one. Ah hah! But Ive found the original one. It's located at the basement food court of Roxy Square if you're adventurous enough to search for it. The environment and the architecture (mostly low lying shophouses) here are somewhat different from that of the West. Have yet to explore around much but looking forward in doing it soon. Also, Church of the Holy Family is just the around the corner, so thank God for that!

Learning Points

Somethings you get to learn at the office...

• If you're not asleep by 1am, you're in for a moody and grumpy day ahead
• Never leave the house without breakfast
• When the boss is not around, there's when you should make best use of the time
• Lunch time and bunking out of the office are the only main sources of motivation
• Bringing packed food can save you as much as $10 a day
• When its lunch time, be fair to your brain and get out of the office
• Fruits and vegetables are important in your daily diet
• Monday blues really mean Monday BLUES and;
• Fridays are seriously to thank God for

waiting for boss

Attachment period has began and its two days into the job that brings me to realise I am so not cut out for office jobs! Today's definitely better than yesterday, cause the boss is out this morning so here I am on the net just surfing around waiting for him to return to chuck a new pile of work on my desk. :(

I'm hooked on the lemon tea to keep myself awake, and that's probably going to be the main cause of what's gonna add to the fats at the end of this 7 weeks. So I guess the biggest challenge here is to keep myself awake and motivated! Maybe watching the pretty secretary infront of me do her stuff would help :).

In any case, here's a couple of shots of my (now) neat table at home and of the office;

Home desktop up and running!

@ the office














Chill.

byebye exams

TGIF and finally, exams are over! I am seriously so brain drained and all I need is another paper to kill myself. But thankfully its all over, though I am rather scared of the results, but shall leave that for another day to worry about! (:

For now, a list of undone tasks to accomplish:

1. pack & repaint my room
2. get my desktop up and running
3. finish reading my 1000 pages book that i've bought months ago but not even 1/3 read
4. strengthen my spiritual faith and being
5. train for NS
6. lose 3kgs
7. save more money
8. catch up with old time buds
9. go for novena procession
10. plant sun flowers on my roof
11. passs my car and bike tp
12. wish Julia happy birthday
13. more time spent in dreamland!

life at work

Life at work is like a tree full of monkeys, all on different limbs at different levels.

Some monkeys are climbing up, some down.

The monkeys on the top look down and and see a tree full of smiling faces.

The monkeys at the bottom look up and see nothing up assholes.

-unknown author

what is your greatest fear?

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Our playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Champions!

Exams have started and so has the full load of crappy stress that goes along with them. I am so going to attend every lecture and study consistantly when the new semester opens. I've had enough stress of last minute studying and having slacked through the whole semester.

Exams aside, it has been a pretty week so far. Reasons being;

1) Finally my class 2B course is completed with a single attempt for final evaluation, hence now waiting for the tp test to be due in a couple of weeks time.

2) The Accountings Analysis & Applications paper, yes the paper I dread most is over. No more. (Unless I fail and retake that is) Besides, 1 down, 4 to go.

3) Today's first aid competition was a day to go down in fairfield red cross history. The links achieved 1st runner up, south district, securing its top 2 positions for the 5th consecutive year, while the cadets achieved also 1st runner up, south district and... overall national champions with the challenge cup for the first time! Congratulations to all especially Fion for the dedication in training the team! Not forgetting God for His countless blessings upon the unit, its members and leadership.

Words cannot describe the intensiveness and excitment of the whole event, you had to be there with us to experience it for yourself. It was worth every sweat and tear in training for that moment to hear the unit's name being annouced. Champions of the national first aid competition 2007, Fairfield Methodist Secondary School...

I believed what was achieved were much more than the trophies and praises, but of friendship, maturity, skills, passion, team spirit, and everything that goes along with the magic of it.

To both teams, you have made us so proud, and for that, I salute you. (:

Gratefulness

Everyday has become a battlefield where physical, emotional and spiritual stuggles take place. Lets just say I have yet to fully recover from the past ordeals, and now worsening the load; exams, stress, financial difficulties, lack of time for personal activities... and the list goes on. It seems my self esteem and confidence have taken a plunge, but I'm trying hard each day to get them back to where they should be. Perhaps I've been worrying too much lately... for reasons I am still trying to figure out why

Nonetheless, I am gratefully thankful for the special friends who never fail to leave smiles on my face, praying for me, and making each day brighter than it could possibly be. You guys know who you are! Cheerios to you! (:

Exams and internship are only around the corner and so are the driving and riding tp tests. No time to rest for now, tiring weeks lie ahead!

The Disunity

It was a privilege to be able to have the last breakfast with Fr Val this morning, just before he leaves to the Church of the Risen Christ tomorrow. We got the chance to discuss the many issues that have long been pondered inside me, one of them that has affected me greatly being the disunity of Christianity today. What happened to John 17 when Jesus prayed for his believers at the last supper;

"Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, so that they may be one as we are one...that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

And also in Acts 4:32 and 1 Corinthians 1:10;

"All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had."

"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought."

Isn't it clear enough to see that we Christians have to be united in order for the very love of Christ to be witness in today's world? Sadly I'm afraid you have to agree with me that it hasn't been so. Its been over 500 years that Protestants and Catholics fight over theological doctrines, morals and each claiming to proclaim the truth. New protestant congregations are being established daily around the globe with an average of 5 new denominations emerging each day, adding on to the 250,000 denominations there already are, just because one disagrees with doctrines and teachings of another. Not even getting down to theological matters yet, some are already accepting gay marriages, contraception, abortion, cloning and many more of such (I'm in no position to judge, but I think God wouldn't have planned for this?). Obviously the Truth is getting more and more distorted and we all should be wondering where christianity is heading to today.

As a Catholic, I am deeply sadden to see so many non-Catholics misunderstanding the faith and worst still making false claims about it. And obviously most of us Catholics are not knowing our faith well enough to share its truth and splendor with others.

It is my deepest yearning that all of us christians can put away our pride and ego and come together one day to worship God under one single church, hence it is my greatest gratitute that I ask of you reader, Catholics and Protestants to join me in prayer... to pray for unity and continue seeking the truth and be open to the Holy Spirit that has been promised to guide us. Because each time we do, we seek Jesus who himself is the truth, the way and the life. And in doing so, we will eventually find the splendor in the truth.

May the good Lord mould, melt our hearts and motivate our minds always!

With peace and love.

Thank You

Thanks Julia! For the inspiration of this long forgotten but all time favourite song

- Love will keep us alive, Eagles (:

too fast!

Apparently it seems to me that life is moving too fast to grasp hold of, as if there was a shift in the universe and the earth's rotation got quicker. Lately, there's never more than enough time to study, chillout, just spending quality time with loved ones and friends or engaging in favourite past times. For many would have noticed, my photo albums at flickr haven't been keeping up to date. (will get back to it after exams and attachment) I guess the studying and driving/riding lessons are taking up majority of my time right now, so... what to do? Life is short hence just gotta make the best out of things.

Farewell Pics

The internet hasn't exactly been very helpful since I attemped uploading the farewell pics probably two hours ago. Its getting disconnected every now and then and there's no way such big folders are getting through soon. Sorry guys, it might take awhile. Alternatively I will burn copies of the pics and pass them out on the next meeting.

Chill.

stuck at home

Here I am bumping around at home on a Saturday's afternoon while I should be out chilling. Reason being, the throat infection thats causing a major nuisance and the medicine that's making me drowsy since 2 days ago. Well, its nice to be at home for once, considering I have been so packed with activities that I haven't had the time to laze around at home for awhile even on the weekends, therefore depriving myself of the TV and home cooked food!

Its nice having spent the afternoon surfing around the net, nourishing my brain with what's going on in the world and also checking up on the latest happenings of friends through their blogs. Hmm, I guess its gonna be this way for some time till the exams are over and life returns to normal. Nonetheless, glad to know most are doing fine! (:

Driving Test

SIGH, there goes my driving license. If you're guessing, you're right. I failed my traffic police test today. Mann, S$150 goes down the drain just like that. The killing factor had to be the nervousness. Biggest joke; checking everything and moving off, forgetting the safety belt. :( Interestingly, a freak rain then came and it rained like never before the moment the car got out of the circuit, and stopped like it never rained when the car turned back in. Seriously, no exaggeration. Had to be a divine intervention telling me I'm so not ready to drive. On a lighter note, I have to agree.

Imagine if I had pass, I'll be taking the car to office every morning hence increasing the risk of an accident greatly, and each time that happens, there goes S$2k and the chance of not driving again. Boy, God, you really know what's best eh! Cause now, the next test date is 4th Oct, just when my attachment period ends. What can I say, its the nervousness I'll have to conquer this time!

Series of Unfortunate Events

Life is known to have its ups and downs. If so, then I must probably be at my lowest right now. A series of unfortunate events occured and my moral and concentration on life's daily chores have taken a serious blow, something I guess only time can heal. At times like these I cry out to God in pain and desperation and ask 'why Father?!'... but many a time, his reasons are always beyond my human understanding.

I prayed hard that night, made phone calls hoping to hear good news but to no avail. I prayed that if He couldn't return me what was lost, at least to take away the pain from me. I lied in bed that night, with an emotion pain I had never felt before, full of anger and frustration, and for that moment, I could understand how many have had lost their faith in God or religion so easily. But even so, I am thankful to the holy spirit and dear mother Mary for keeping me that night.

Surprisingly enough, yesterday's sermon during mass seemed to be directly targeted at me and my thoughts. Awe stucked as I listen hard, Fr John Lau shared about how God never fails to listen to our prayers, but sometimes (or maybe most of the time) He just doesnt respond to us the way we expect them to be, because eventually He knows what's best for us, not what we assume to be. Yes, faith. Not what of the human mind can easily comprehend, but what the soul may embrace. After all, as it's said, 'What father is there among you, who, if his son asks for a slice of bread, will offer him a stone? or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish offer him a snake?' (Luke 11:11)

Easier said than done, I am still trying hard to understand many things life has revealed, but often its nice to take a step back and enjoy life one bit at a time, knowing that there's always an angel watching your back for you.

another farewell

Last night marked the farewell for another batch of fmssrcy NCOs, and also just as importantly, the handing over of leadership to yet another batch. Maybe it doesn't seem very much significant to many, but for those who have stayed with the unit for a long time, i'm sure it must have.

Personally, I never fail to be amused by how much these juniors have matured so quickly over a short span of time. From arragont brats (I wouldn't deny myself being one) to humble and respectable leaders, something that all of us owe to our seniors. As the unit's leadership gets passed down over time, its in the soul of these leaders I still find a little of Vincent Sir, Richard, my brother, Jing Yang, Johnathan, Poh Huat, Chanel, Fion and the many other devoted seniors who have moulded us to what we have become today.

Though they may not be seen around very often nowadays, their spirit has always remained in the unit. Each time an instruction, scolding or advice is given, a punishment implemented, and a planning taking place, its when they are there with us.

In any case, a job well done to the graduating ncos! Days ahead without you are going to be so different. New people and new problems to deal with, haha! But I believe new learning experiences too. Hope some of you guys will return as VIs then.

Cheers!

Projects!

Projects, projects, projects... they seem to be never ending. three down, two to go.

In any case, postings for internship was out today and my attached office is located at East Coast Road... shucks. Attachment period lasts from 27 Aug to 12 Oct. There goes my holidays. :(

Turning Eighteen

Who would have expect turning eighteen to be such a big deal, but it has sure proven itself to be so. Sometimes I wonder if I'm moving well along with the age, simply to put it - I think I'm growing up too quickly. I can already feel heavier responsibilities piling up quickly over time and things I've couldn't imagine myself doing so soon - driving, m18 movies, legal access to clubs, etc. Its only a matter of time that I'll be serving the nation and then having to find a real job. But then again, I guess there never fails to always have a little something beautiful amongst the darkness and uncertainty that one can look forward to in life... just like friends such as these!

Old time pals

VIs















fmssrcy juniors















Chanel looking her best!

A heartfelt Thank You to all who made my 18th Birthday such a memorable one and of course to Chanel, Nirma, Yunxing, Brandon, Wen Fang, Carissa, Simon, Saleha, Xiang Feng for making it an even more special one, God bless you all! (:

One Year Later

How fast time flies, its been already a year since the last entry was posted with so much that has happened within that short period of time (I'm finally eighteen!). Well, I realise such memories are too precious to be left forgotten, hence I have returned. And hopefully will consistantly.